Mobile Advertising: Why it is important to understand your tools

Mobile Advertising: Why it is important to understand your tools

by | Apr 8, 2015 |

Mobile Advertising is an exciting new opportunity for marketers. Some brands get so bedazzled that they dive in headfirst, only to find themselves drowning in problems. Let’s take a look at why it is important to understand your tools first. Just like Twitter is limited to 140 characters or a SMS to 160, so mobile devices likes smartphones and tablets have their own limitations. Before you can start planning any kind of marketing strategy, you need to have a basic understanding of how mobile devices work – especially if you want to concentrate on online digital marketing. And you need to understand this from the user (customer’s) perspective. Try browsing the web and clicking on Mobile Advertisements from your own device. (Have a look at your competitors while you are at it.) What are you noticing? Some things simply don’t work that well on mobile because of the small screen size – text are often cramped together and the images can be hard to view. I often find that links on some websites are so close together in the copy, that while I indented to click on Link A, I end up clicking on Link C. This is so frustrating! When I try this a second time and I still get the wrong link, I simply close the site and move on to another. Yes, the world of Mobile Advertising can be a bit harsh, and that is why so many digital marketers completely miss the mark. But don’t give up if you fail the first time. We all have to make mistakes in order to learn and grow....
4 Excellent Mobile Advertising strategies for small businesses

4 Excellent Mobile Advertising strategies for small businesses

by | Apr 7, 2015 |

Competing with big or well-established companies is hard for any small business. But, just because your team is small or your resources limited, it doesn’t mean you can’t make a killing with Mobile Advertising. Research your competitors It is always good to know what your competitors are up to. Imagine finding out that your biggest rival doesn’t even do Mobile Advertising – bonus! But if they are active on mobile, you need to make sure that you can outshine, or at least compete head to head, with them. Quality content is king You want to attract customers, not scare them away. And you only have a few seconds to make a good impression. Keeping this in mind, make sure that your Mobile Advertising is on point. If you are including images in your message, make sure the quality is good and that it displays correctly on a mobile screen. Your copy also has to contain all the info your customers need to make an informed decision – from what you are offering right through to your contact details. And please make sure your links are working AND that they point to the correct page on your site! Add that personal touch You would be surprised to know that small things can go a long way in Mobile Advertising. If you address a customer by their first name in a text message, you show that your customer isn’t just another number. Always remember that customers like to feel special – and you can instil this feeling in different ways. Reward loyal customers Who doesn’t like to be rewarded! Customers adore...
How Mobile Advertising works for fast food restaurants

How Mobile Advertising works for fast food restaurants

by | Apr 2, 2015 |

Mobile Advertising is tailor-made for restaurants and fast food businesses. From mouth-watering images of food to redeemable coupons and specials offers, mobile can attract hungry customers to your eatery like a magnet. Imagine this scenario for a second. It is almost lunch time and your tummy is rumbling. One of your colleagues recommends a restaurant one block away from the office. You quickly hop on your phone to browse through their menu, but their website is a hot mess. You have to zoom and minimize every single pic and the font is so small that you can barely read the menu. No thanks! You search for eateries in your vicinity and a very appealing Mobile Advertisement pops up. Hmmm. You click on it and it takes you to an amazing website with images so good you want to gnaw on your phone. The contact details are present and the description of the food is clear as day. Within a few seconds you have ordered your meal. 20 minutes later you get a text message. It is the restaurant informing you that the delivery guy is on his way with your order. That’s a nice touch! Later that afternoon you receive another text asking if you would like to subscribe to their mobile list so you can receive notifications about special offers and the like. The message also contains a link to their Facebook page. Hey, why not? A week later you receive a personally addressed Mobile Advertisement informing you about a brand new special. Delicious! A while after that you receive a mobile voucher because you completed a quick...
8 Mistakes newbie Mobile Advertising marketers make

8 Mistakes newbie Mobile Advertising marketers make

by | Mar 25, 2015 |

If you are completely new to Mobile Advertising, making mistakes is inevitable. But don’t worry; we will let you in on eight common mistakes so you can easily avoid them in the future! No clear call-to-action: Don’t assume that your customers understand exactly what you want them to do after they have read your communication. Should they visit your website? Sign up for a newsletter? Participate in a survey? Tell them in no uncertain terms! Links that aren’t working: This is a very sloppy mistake to make, but it happens. Make sure that any links you put in your Mobile Advertising are working correctly and takes the user to the correct website or web page. Lengthy/ complicated forms: Typing on a mobile device is a lot harder than typing on a computer keyboard. Never give a mobile user a complicated form to fill out – it’s not going to happen! Not knowing who your target market is: Sometimes marketers try to do a generalised approach; a “shot in the dark” if you will. Don’t try to market to “everybody” in the hopes of reaching “someone”. Using too much text: Users don’t want to click, zoom and scroll to be alble to read all of your text. This is a very frustrating experience. Make your content powerful without trying to write a page-turner. Not knowing the rules, regulations and laws: Yep, all forms of marketing have rules that protect consumers. For mobile, one of those rules is that customers have to opt-in to receive your direct marketing messages. Sending a message “just because”: Never send a SMS because you haven’t...
InTarget in the News: Mobile Media Advertising Opportunities Forum

InTarget in the News: Mobile Media Advertising Opportunities Forum

by | Feb 25, 2015 |

Mobile devices are becoming a key platform in marketing strategies to deliver integrated and effective communication campaigns. This was the key message at the recently held Mobile Media Advertising Opportunities Forum in Lagos organised by MTN Business, the business-to-business unit of MTN Nigeria, in collaboration with InTarget Africa. Mr. Lazarus Muchenje, CEO, InTarget Africa, highlighted the business imperative for brands and marketers to adopt mobile advertising as a cost-effective means of reaching a profiled target audience and deliver comprehensive and watertight integrated marketing communications plans on a budget-friendly platform. For the full article, visit: MTN Business Drives Mobile Advertising in Nigeria Full article: MTN Business Drives Mobile Advertising in Nigeria In a world where more and more of our daily critical activities are increasingly done on the go, mobile devices have emerged the next viable platform which today’s marketing professionals interested in delivering effective integrated marketing communications campaigns can no longer afford to ignore or leave out. This was the key message that came across at the recently held Mobile Media Advertising Opportunities Forum, organised in Lagos by MTN Business, the business-to-business unit of MTN Nigeria, in collaboration with InTarget Africa. The forum further highlighted the value of the MTN Mobile Ads service, which offers advertisers and brands an opportunity to connect directly with mobile phone users. The service includes an array of channels that can be mixed and matched to create different levels of engagement. Speaking at the forum, Mr. Tsola Barrow, acting Chief Enterprise Solutions Officer, MTN Nigeria, described mobile advertising as a targeted and effective engagement platform, adding that the MTN Mobile Ads service offered a world of opportunities, in addition to...
How to choose a mobile advertising network

How to choose a mobile advertising network

by | Feb 5, 2015 |

Not all mobile advertising networks are exactly the same. Choosing the right one can push your brand to new heights, while the wrong one can yield little results – except a hole in your bank account. Blind Networks Blind networks are the scooters of the Mobile Ad network world. They are cheaper, but also don’t come with all the cool bells and whistles. These networks usually target content channels such as news or sport. Not bad, but you don’t get to choose which websites display your ad. This will of course make it more difficult for you to evaluate and measure the success of your ad, because you have less control over and knowledge of the process. Premium Blind Networks Now things are starting to look up. Premium blind networks can be considered the family car of the bunch. You get a little more bang for your buck with higher end publishers such as newspapers or operator portals. Although still limited, you can be offered specific spots on sites or choose between sites that have both search and display ads. Premium Networks If you want the Ferrari, you will have to be willing to spend more than a few bucks. These Mobile Advertising networks offer prime spots on popular sites. They have a multitude of targeting offers to choose from, but most importantly, you know what you are paying for. But how do I go about choosing the one best suited for my business? There are a few factors you can look at – like the pricing range and payment options. Different networks offer different ways for you to pay...